In e-commerce, customers often add items to their shopping carts but leave without completing a purchase. This is known as an abandoned cart. UltraCart provides powerful features to help you manage these abandoned carts and re-engage customers, potentially recovering lost sales.
This feature allows merchants to set the length of time that the shopping cart session cookie will "hold" an item or items if and when a customer abandons the cart, either by navigating away or leaving the cart in an inactive state.
 Configuration → Checkout → Abandon Interval |
The Abandon Interval determines how long an item remains "held" in a customer's shopping cart session after they become inactive. This setting is crucial, especially if you have Track Inventory enabled, as items in abandoned carts are subtracted from your available inventory. Setting this value too high can lead to items appearing out of stock even if you have physical inventory on hand.
To configure the Abandon Interval:
Navigate to Configuration > Checkout > Abandon Interval.
From the drop-down menu, select the desired length of time for items to be retained in the cart. The default setting is 1 hour. (Minimum 1 hour - Maximum 672 hours)
Click the Save button.
An Abandon Cart flow is an effective way to prompt customers to complete abandoned purchases. These emails can include incentives, such as coupons, to encourage customers to return to their carts.
Abandon Cart is triggered by customer inactivity in their shopping cart or by closing the session. They are sent after a specified duration of inactivity and can offer a coupon that remains valid.
To access the Abandon Cart flow configuration:
Navigate to Main Menu > Storefronts > Select your host > Communications > Flows.
Click on Flow Library
From the Public Library section select Example: Abandon Cart > Start
Beyond the basic settings, you can use UltraCart's features to enhance your abandoned cart recovery efforts.
UltraCart provides a report to export information about abandoned carts, which can then be used in third-party marketing systems or for further analysis.
To access the Abandon Lead Report:
Navigate to Operations > Reporting > Abandon Lead Report.
If the customer abandons the cart either via the abandon interval or by leaving the checkout, if they have filled in at least their email and email their information will be sent to the Abandon Lead report.
Related Documentation:Abandon Lead Report
Effectively managing abandoned carts and utilizing Abandon Cart Flows are crucial strategies for maximizing your sales. By understanding and configuring the Abandon Interval and leveraging the Return Email feature, you can significantly improve your chances of recovering lost revenue and keeping your inventory accurate.